Stabilized food composition

ABSTRACT

A stabilized food composition with a reduced dry matter content, wherein the stabilizing agent is a fructane or fructane mixture in an amount of 1-15 wt % and to 1-25% of the water content of said food composition.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Our present sedentary way of living characterized by an almost completeabsence of intense

Although energetic food needs are lower, our food is still too rich insugars and fats and too poor in alimentary fibers.

Many medical publications supported by media have sensitized the publicopinion about the relationship existing between too high energy foodsand fat absorption and health problems like obesity, cardiovasculardiseases, respiratory troubles, etc., whence consumers are realizing thenecessity of a healthier and more equilibrated food.

Moreover the idea that beauty is necessarily associated to slendernessleads to an increased demand of so-called “light” foodstuffs (with a lowcalorie and fat content).

Thus, there is presently a real need for appropriate food compositionsto be used in an equilibrated alimentation, comprising a fat substituteand holding the gustative and physical properties of the conventionalfood compositions.

In other terms, the consumers require foodstuffs with a low calorie andfat content, but which should be as appetizing as conventionalfoodstuffs, i.e. those foodstuffs should have identical texture, mouthtaste and flavour.

However, the fat content reduction in foodstuffs leads to deep changesof their organoleptic characteristics.

In that context, it is interesting to mention here the results of ataste evaluation test carried out by Leatherhead Food ResearchAssociates (review of the conference “Development of low-fat/lowercalorie food products” held in The Hague, March 1992) on spreadingpastes. Spreading pastes with a reduced fat content have been alwaysdistinguished from other pastes with a normal fat content. Spreadingpastes with a normal fat content were characterized by a smooth textureand a bright aspect, whereas those with a reduced fat content showed adifferent flavour and a granulous gelatinous firm texture.

Consequently, the fat content reduction in foodstuffs often requires tomix additive-agents to those foodstuffs so as to provide an acceptabletexture. Thus, in the above-mentioned example, the spreading pastescontained gelatine, modified starch, xanthan gum and/or caseinate.

Another important problem lies on the physical and microbiologicalstability of those products.

When fat is removed from a food composition, it leads generally to areduction of the dry material and an increase of the free water content.

Those changes in the food composition are expressed by a water activitychange which is a measurement of the free water quantity in the foodcomposition and influences particularly the product microbiologicalsafety and stability.

Thus, low fat content spreading pastes requires adding a preservativeagent such as potassium sorbate (not added to a high fat contentproduct) which has a shorter lifetime.

The water activity and acidity are the two main factors that influencethe product microbiological safety. For many products, it is thusimportant to know the principles of using acids as preservative agents,since the preservation effects vary with the acids and the quantitiesthereof.

PRIOR ART

In light foodstuffs, many fat substitutes have been marketed or arebeing developed.

The present situation of fat substitutes has been quite well describedin the article “Les substituts des graisses, lucratifs mais risqués”published in International Food Ingredients, 1991, N^(o) 2, pp. 4-11.

Essentially all those products are characterized by a poor heatstability, which restricts their use to foodstuffs prepared at quite lowtemperatures.

Moreover the quality of the food compositions obtained by using thoseproducts is generally characterized by a less smooth texture, a thickermouth taste and/or unwanted flavours.

The advantages associated with the use of inulin in food compositionshave been patented by the company Raffinerie Tirlemontoise.

The use of fructanes such as for example inulin in food compositions hasa number of advantages:

inulin is an easily available material which can be obtained fromvarious plants such as Cichorium Intybus;

inulin is a polydisperse product with generic formula GFn (G=glucose,F=fructose, n varying from 2 to more than 60), the fructose units beingconnected to each other through a binding β (2−1), and which presents,favorable nutritive properties such as its bifidogenous effect,alimentary fiber behaviour and very low calorie content (<2 kcal/g).

Patent Application PCT/BE92/00042 describes particularly the use of acomposition having a cream structure in:

ice cream: as a substitute for 50% or more of the fat material withexcellent organoleptic characteristics;

waffles: as a substitute for 50% of the fat matter;

spreading pastes (of minarine type): as a partial substitute for oil andfat. A spreading paste composition is described therein with only 30% offat with neither flavour nor texture alteration;

liver pie: as a substitute for a part of fat. A liver pie composition isdescribed therein in which 15% fat and 15% inulin cream have beensubstituted for 30% fat (bacon), that means a 50% fat reduction.

Patent Application PCT/BE92/00043 describes hydrous lipophilecompositions comprising an aqueous ingredient in which water isimmobilized.

European Patent Application N^(o) 532 775 (under Ajinomoto's name)describes a foodstuff containing a polyfructane prepared by a sugar orinulin enzymatic lengthening so as to obtain long chain polymers. Theso-prepared polyfructane is used as a substitute for food componentssuch as oil, fat, sugar, thickeners and/or gelling agents in foodstuffs.This polyfructane is substituted totally or partially for the foodcomponent.

That substitution is provided either with the addition of a pastystructure (20 or 25%) or with a polyfructane quantity equivalent to thequantity substituted.

Japanese Patent Application N^(o) 4 311 371 (under Ajinomoto's name)describes water retention properties of a polyfructane of a molecularweight between 5,000 and 15,000,000. This polyfructane is substitutedfor an identical quantity of an available sugar in ice cream (example 8)or jam (examples 9 and 10).

On the other hand, that last-mentioned Patent Application mentions thatpolyfructane stabilizes deliquescence (tendency of the solid foodstuffsto absorb atmospheric moisture and to become liquid), preferably ofsolid foodstuffs which contain products such as polydextrose,fructoligosaccharide, aspartame, sorbitol, etc., which are known to beunstable.

All above-mentioned examples and applications offer possibilities to useother components as substitutes for fats and/or sugars in the foodcompositions.

The Applicant does not seek, however, to use other substances assubstitutes for fats in foodstuffs, but aims at removing fats andconsequently reducing product dry mattter with no addition of bigquantities of other ingredients (except for water).

The fat content reduction in foodstuffs involves problems ofmicrobiological stabilization and texture and flavour conservation inthe product obtained when the dry matter quantity is reduced and/or thefree water quantity is increased.

In the prior art, to palliate that problem, various additives are mixedwith the foodstuffs.

For example, U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 91/03270 of First World Cheese describesthe production of various low fat content cheese types from a milkcontaining 0.01% to 0.3% fats, adding carrageenan (0.06%) as astabilizing agent to increase water retention.

The authors notice that, in absence of carrageenan, the cheeses obtainedpresent a rough or pasty aspect and an unwanted smell.

U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 91/07100 of Kraft General Foods describes theproduction of a non fatty natural cheese from skim milk to which amicrogel (product made from alginates) or an hydrocolloid (made fromagar, carrageenan, xanthan, etc.) is added, which according to theauthors provides to the finish product with a flavour identical to fat.

It is to be noticed that the additive content varies from 0.5 to 50% onbase of dry matter.

Although the incorporation of additives allows at some extent to settlethe problem of stabilization in lower fat content foodstuffs, theirpresence in said products will lead to distrust reactions and evenreject from the consumers sensitized by a concept of healthy food freefrom any “foreign” additive as much as possible. Moreover, the use ofadditives in foodstuffs in various countries is strictly regulated, theharmonization between the various laws being not yet carried out.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at providing a stabilized lower dry matterfoodstuff, particularly with a lower fat content and which hasstabilized texture and mouth taste as well as an improvedmicrobiological time stability.

Particularly, the present invention aims at providing a foodstuff whichdoes not require any addition of important quantities of food additivesas stabilizing agent, emulsifier or similar.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INVENTION

It is possible to obtain an avantageous substitution for 5 to 75 wt %fat content in a foodstuff of small quantities (from 1 to 15 wt %) of anatural food component comprising a fructane or a fructane mixture,while providing the texture, mouth taste and microbiological timestability in said foodstuff in spite of a reduction of the dry mattercontent.

The so obtained food composition is characterized by a fructane or afructane mixture content of 1 to 25% with respect to water contained insaid food composition without that mixture giving rise to the formationof a creamy structure, nor behaving as a creamy structure nor being usedas a cream as described in Patent Application PCT/BE92/00042.

Many light foodstuffs in which there is used water or a mixture of waterand a fat substitute for fat, have clearly lower texture, mouth tasteand microbiological stability than standard foodstuffs.

It has been shown surprisingly that the advantageous reduction of largefat quantities and the addition of small quantities of a natural foodcomponent comprising a fructane or a fructane mixture in a foodstuff donot alter the organoleptic properties (texture, mouth taste, etc.) ofsaid foodstuff.

In other words, it is possible to hold the stability of a foodstuff byreducing its quantity of dry matter (that is to say by increasing thewater percentage) while adding a fructane to said foodstuff.

Thereafter, the term “stabilized food composition” means a foodcomposition containing a natural food component (such as fats, sugars,etc.) comprising a fructane or a fructane mixture allowing to reduce thedry matter in said foodstuff while providing its stabilization.

Advantageously, said fructane can for example consist in the productRaftiline® developed and marketed by the company RaffinerieTirlemontoise. Raftiline® contains inulin, which is a easily availablesubstance obtained from various wide-spread plants, more particularly inthe case of Raftiline® from Cichorium Intybus.

Inulin is a polydisperse composition of saccharides having the formulaGFn (G=glucose, F=fructose, n varying from 2 to 60), the fructose unitsof which are connected to each other by a binding β (2−1).

Besides inulin (a saccharide the polymerization degree of which ishigher than 2) which represents more than 92% of the dry matter,Raftiline® also contains glucose and fructose (2% of the dry matter) aswell as saccharose (6% of the dry matter). Raftiline® is thuscharacterized by a slightly sweetened taste (10% of saccharose one) withno after-taste and by a neutral smell.

Moreover, the presence of low molecular weight saccharides can result ininconvenience in terms of tolerance to Raftiline® during digestion(feeling of swelling and intestinal pressure). Thus, it is particularlyadvantageous to reduce the total proportion of said components infoodstuffs such as pork meat products and other meat-based productswhere the sweetening capacity of a product is particularlydisadvantageous.

According to the invention, it is thus favourable to substitute for thefat matter present in a foodstuff, such as meat-based food preparations,very small quantities of Raftiline® while providing the stability ofsaid foodstuff.

Advantageously, fructane or a component of the fructane mixture isunbranched inulin, branched inulin or partially, hydrolyzed inulin thefavourable nutritive properties are described in Patent ApplicationPCT/BE91/00042 incorporated therein by reference.

Advantageously, inulin is free from any saccharides the polymerizationdegree of which is lower than or equal to two, preferably free fromsaccharides the polymerization degree of which is lower than or equal to10.

Water in foodstuffs may exist as free water or bound water. Free watermay “migrate” into the foodstuff, act as a solvant, react biochemicallyand assist in microbiological growth.

Bound water is associated to other chemical entities in the foodstuffthrough generally weak interactions, but which can go up to importantchemical bindings.

Water activity is a parameter to quantify the free water content in aproduct.

Surprisingly, the advantageous substitution for 5 to 75 wt. % fatcontent in a foodstuff by small quantities of a natural food componentcomprising a fructane or a fructane mixture, does not lead to anincrease of water activity and consequently the free water quantity inthe food composition is not increased.

Thus, said foodstuffs do not require synthetic additives.

The invention will be now described more in details in the followingexamples given only as an illustration of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

Gouda cheese

Composition (wt. %) Product with Standard Raftiline ® LS product Fullmilk (3.5% fat) 47.10 99.2 Skim milk 47.10 — Raftiline ® LS 5.00 —β-carotene (or annato) q.s q.s Rennet q.s q.s Lactic ferments 0.80 0.80Calcium chloride 0.02 0.02 Sodium nitrate 0.005 0.005

Process

Mix full milk and skim milk so as to obtain a fat content of 1.7%.

Add Raftiline® LS (an inulin free from saccharides the polymerizationdegree of which is lower than or equal to 2) with milk and mix until youobtain an homogeneous mixture.

Pasteurize milk at 75° C. for 20 seconds.

Cool to 30° C.

Add β-carotene, rennet, lactic ferments, calcium chloride and sodiumnitrate.

After a minimum coagulation time of 30 minutes at 30° C., work on thecoagulum with a basting-spoon and remove the first lactoserum.

Wash the curdled milk with water, stir and remove the second lactoserum.

Press, salt and let the cheese go to maturation (3 weeks).

Characteristics of the finished product Product with StandardRaftiline ® LS product Dry matter (D. M.) 47.6% 64.0% D. M. reduction25.6% — Inulin  5.9% — Inulin/water 11.2% — Fat 11.1% 29.0% Fat/D. M.23.3% 45.3% Fat reduction 62% — Caloric value/100 g 219 kcal 365 kcalCaloric reduction 40% —

Most of the lean cheeses have a rubbery aqueous structure when the fatcontent is reduced to less than 35% on dry material.

By using inulin as an ingredient, a better structure and a better mouthtaste are obtained than in the case of a lean cheese with no inulin.

That is applicable to lean cheeses the fat content of which varies fromless than 10% to 35% on dry material and to all the cheese kinds such ashard paste cheeses (for example Gouda, Cheddar), semi-hard cheeses (forexample Saint Paulin, Munster), soft paste cheeses (for example PortSalut, Brie, Camembert), lactoserum cheeses, herb cheeses, smokedcheeses, . . .

Thus, by adding 5 wt. % Raftiline® LS and substituting skim milk forabout 50% full milk, a Gouda cheese has been obtained the dry matter ofwhich has been reduced 26% and which does not contain more than 23.3%fat material on dry matter, i.e. a 62% reduction with respect to a fullcheese containing 45.3% fat matter on dry matter. This lower fat contentcheese has a smooth soft texture comparable to the reference fat richproduct.

EXAMPLE 2

Liver Sausage

Composition (wt. %) Product with Standard Raftiline ® LS product Porkliver 30.00 30.00 Pork brains 10.00 10.00 Pork head 35.5 6.6 Pork cheeks3.3 50.00 Pork fat — 1.0 Water 9.80 — Spice mixture 0.60 0.60 Nitritesalt (0.9%) 1.80 1.80 Raftiline ® LS 9.00 —

Process

The pork head and cheeks are put in brine containing the nitrite salt.After a residence time of 24 hours at 15° C., the meat as well as thebrine and the Raftiline® LS are boiled for 90 minutes at 90° C. Thestuffing is then prepared with the liver, the brains and the spicemixture. The preparation of the emulsion is made in a bowl chopper byvacuum cooking. The emulsions are introduced in casings immediatelyafter their preparation and heated at 80° C. for 90 minutes. After a 60minute cooling, the sausages are held at 4° C.

Product with Standard Raftiline ® LS product Dry matter (D. M.) 37.2%49.4% D. M. reduction 24.7% — Raftiline ® LS  8.5% — Raftiline ®LS/water 13.5% — Fat 12.7% 32.9% Fat reduction 61% — Meat proteins 13.3%13.6% Caloric value/100 g 182 kcal 369 kcal Caloric reduction 51% —

In meat products such as liver sausages, Frankfurt sausages, hamburgers,it is possible to reduce the fat content by the use of lean meat, butwith as a consequence too a soft wet structure, a mouth water taste anda poor microbiological stability.

By using inulin as an ingredient, products are obtained with are veryclose to the fat products in terms of texture and mouth taste. Moreover,the parameter of water activity is so reduced that the microbiologicalstability is improved.

Thus, by adding 9 wt. % Raftiline® LS to a liver sausage compositioncharacterized by a wt. % of pork-head of 35.5% (instead of 6.6% in thestandard product) and pork cheeks of 3.3% (instead of 50%), by removing1% fat and incorporating 9.8% water, a liver sausage has been obtainedthe dry matter content of which is reduced 24.7% and which only contains12.7% fat material (instead of 32.9%), i.e. a 61% reduction with respectto the standard product.

The results of the measurements of water activity as well as thehardness (expressed in Newtons), carried out on a standard sausage, on alight sausage containing 9 wt. % Raftiline® LS and on a light sausageprepared as above described, but containing no Raftiline® LS arerepresented in the following table:

TABLE Comparison of various liver sausage compositions Standard Lightsausage Light sausage sausage w/Raftiline ® LS without 32.9% fat 12.7%fat Raftiline ® LS (1) (2) 12.7% fat (3) Water activity 0.970 0.9700.985 Hardness (N) 55 54 39

It comes out clearly from those results that, by incorporatingRaftiline® LS, the light sausage has practically the same physicalcharacteristics as those of a standard sausage. Moreover, a panel of 20tasters has clearly given the preference to sausages (1) and (2) interms of taste and texture.

EXAMPLE 3

Spreading Paste

Composition (wt. %) Product with Standard Raftiline ® LS product Fatphase 20.00 80.00 Soya oil 11.86 56.40 Soya oil 38 4.40 15.09Hydrogenated soya oil 45 1.92 3.97 Palm oil 0.96 3.97 Emulsifier(Grindsted 0.50 — Triodan R90) Emulsifier* 0.36 0.80 β-carotene (5.3%)0.02 q.s. Aroma (Grindsted aroma 2934) 0.02 q.s. Aqueous phase (pH 4.7)80.00 20.00 Water 63.38 18.40 Raftiline ® LS 10.00 — Skim lactoserumpowder — 1.00 Potassium sorbate 0.10 0.10 Salt 0.50 0.50 Aroma(Grindsted aroma 2935) 0.02 q.s. *Grindsted Dimodan LS for the productwith Raftiline ® LS and Grindsted Lecidan/Lecithine in a ratio of 1:1for the standard product.

Process

Mix salt, potassium sorbate and aroma in water. Adjust pH at 4.7 withlactic acid. Heat at 80° C. Add Raftiline® LS under stirring. Homogenizethe solution at 45° C.

Prepare the oil mixture.

Heat at 45° C. Pour slowly the aqueous phase into the fat phase whilemixing thouroughly (avoid incorporation of air bubbles). Hold theemulsion at 45° C. and cool to 10° C. in a Schröder type heat exchanger.

Pack and store in the refrigerator.

Characteristics of the product Product with Standard Raftiline ® LSproduct Dry matter (D. M.) 29.5% 80.0% Inulin  9.4% — Inulin/water 13.3%— Fat 20.0% 80.0% Fat reduction 75% — Caloric value/100 g 190 kcal 724kcal 79.5 kJ 3029 kJ Caloric reduction 74% —

EXAMPLE 4

Mayonnaise

Composition (wt. %) Product with Standard Raftiline ® LS product Water59.7 — Sugar 12.2 3.0 Vinegar 6.6 6.0 Raftiline ® ST 5.4 — Corn starch5.9 3.0 Salt 1.8 1.5 Potassium sorbate 0.1 0.05 Soya oil 2.7 80.0 Fullegg 5.4 — Mustard 0.2 1.5 Egg yolk — 5.0

Process

Disperse potassium sorbate, Raftiline® ST and starch in water.

Mix until homogenization.

Add sugar, vinegar and salt while mixing.

Heat at 85° C. and cool to obtain a paste.

Mix half of the paste obtained with the oil.

Add the eggs and aerate for two minutes.

Add mustard and the rest of the paste.

Mix well and homogenize before any packing.

Characteristics of the finished product Product with StandardRaftiline ® ST product Dry matter (D. M.) 27.5%  87.6% Fat 2.7% 80.0%Inulin 4.7% — Fat reduction 97% — kcal/100 g 102 744 Caloric reduction86% — Aw value 90.6   89.9 D. M. reduction 68.6   — Ratio inulin/vater6.5  —

What is claimed is:
 1. A modified food composition characterized by areduced amount of dry matter compared to a standard food composition,comprising 1 to 15 wt. % of inulin, relative to a fat content of astandard food composition, and 25-95 wt. % of fat relative to the fatcontent of the standard food composition, wherein the inulin is of theformula GFn wherein G represents a glucose unit, F represents a fructoseunit and n ranges from 2 to 60, and that said inulin is free ofsaccharides having a degree of polymerisation lower than or equal to 2,the free water quantity in the composition is not increased based on thestandard composition, the content of inulin based on the water containedin said composition is 1 to 25 wt. %, without that mixture of water andinulin giving rise to the formation of a creamy structure, and theorganoleptic properties and the microbial stability over time of saidfood composition being identical to those of the standard composition.2. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the inulin is selectedfrom the group consisting of: a linear inulin, a branched inulin, ahydrolyzed inulin, and mixtures thereof.
 3. The composition according toclaim 1, wherein the inulin is obtained from Cichorium intybus.
 4. Thecomposition according to claim 1, wherein said composition is a cheese.5. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said composition is ameat product.
 6. The composition according to claim 1, wherein saidcomposition is a spread.
 7. The composition according to claim 1,wherein said composition is a mayonnaise.